2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

Fourth Place: Long Rangers

A warning light comes on when you read through the comment log of this hybrid and find many compliments to the stylists, none to the engineers. As hybrids go, this is weak tea. Not that we’re categorically against mild hybrids. The goal is laudable—gain more in fuel efficiency than you shell out in cost.

But against state-of-the-art hybrids, the Malibu, at its present state of development, seems like too little too late. It was the tail ender in all of our mileage tests, showing especially badly in urban driving—only 19.8 mpg, 12.4 mpg behind the third-best Altima, 17.1 mpg behind the frugal Fusion.

Hybrids make only minor gains on high-speed interstates, so the Malibu deficit was relatively small on that test, 29.9 mpg compared with the pack-leading Camry at 34.8 mpg. In our overall-mileage summation, the Malibu rounds up to 29 mpg, the only hybrid in this group under 30 mpg.

The emotional satisfaction that comes from driving a special-purpose car is completely missing in the Malibu because it’s not discernibly special. The engine shuts down when you brake to a halt, then restarts with inappropriate violence when you lift off the brake pedal. The dash has an abstract gauge to the right side of the cluster with a needle that wavers between charging the battery and assisting the engine, but this simply reflects whether you are decelerating or accelerating—and you know that without looking at a meter. The word “ECO” occasionally glows in green letters in this dial, too, probably good news but too cryptic to be rewarding.

Otherwise, the Malibu shifts through its conventional four-speed automatic in conventional fashion and responds oddly to accelerator commands as the electric assist fades in and out according to an unseen commander. The controls feel abrupt in urban driving and crude compared with the polished nature of the Camry and the Fusion.

The Malibu manages the dubious honor of last place in both fuel economy and acceleration. It eases to 60 mph in 9.2 seconds, 2.1 seconds behind the hustling Altima.

As a people hauler, we rated rear-seat comfort in the bottom half of the class: quite tight on the shoulders for three adults, tight on the instep, too, although foot space is otherwise generous. Because mild hybrids can get by with a small traction battery, the Malibu is the only one of the group to retain the full, fold-forward rear seatback of the nonhybrid models. The battery fits in the customary hybrid place, on the trunk floor just behind the seat, but the top of it is low and fully enclosed in a black plastic housing, allowing long objects to rest atop as they extend into the rear-passenger area.

The as-tested price of this hybrid Malibu is $26,575, by far the lowest of the group, but with cloth seats, no sunroof, and a weight-saving can of tire inflator instead of an honest spare tire, it doesn’t seem like a wise way to spend $3950 more than a base Malibu to save a minor amount of fuel. GM says there’s “very limited availability” of this model. Very limited demand, too, we predict.